Another interesting theme at TED was that attendees remembered and liked the speeches given by the most charming, persuasive speakers, even if the underlying idea was less compelling than other speeches.

All of the attendees seemed aware of this bias within themselves, but it didn’t make a difference. They still liked and were more influenced by the speeches with the best delivery, even if the ideas weren’t particularly compelling or new.

For me, this was as a friendly reminder to treat communication as a critical skill that can multiply your effectiveness in life.

Society gives the most articulate and charming people a huge margin of error. If the enlightened folks at TED are subject to this bias, you can imagine how susceptible the rest of us are.

For the love of God, try and become a slightly stronger communicator each day.